


Two Sides of the Same Function (Pt. 2)

by NoblestRomanOfThemAll (AnxiouslyGoing)



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Creativitwins, Hurt/Comfort, Nyctophobia, Post-Episode: Putting Others First - Selfishness v. Selflessness Redux | Sanders Sides, Pre-Episode: Flirting with Social Anxiety, Sympathetic Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Sympathetic Deceit | Janus Sanders, Third update's the charm, hold onto your hats folks were getting meta, mildly graphic description of injury, now with 'hero' angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:07:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27039970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnxiouslyGoing/pseuds/NoblestRomanOfThemAll
Summary: There's a lot Remus isn't sure about, but one thing he knows for sure: Roman is his brother, in many ways his other half- perhaps his better half... and he'll always do what's best for him.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 35





	1. I Trust Him

"Remus, get down!" Roman cried as the Troll they were fighting took a wide swing at his twin. He shoved Remus over and raised his shield barely in time. 

The hammer connected with a clang and sent the Prince flying back with a scream. 

Roman crashed backward and his head cracked hard into the mossy ground beneath him making his vision go fuzzy. It was nothing compared to the pain that seemed to swallow his right arm. 

Roman groaned and tried to come to his feet and the troll lumbered toward him, but dizziness kept him on his back. 

"Roman!" 

He turned his head to see Remus running for him. The Duke curled himself over his brother as the troll raised its hammer again, then everything faded around them. 

\---

Remus was swearing, but what exactly was being said, Roman couldn't be sure. There was a scream and it took a second for Roman to realize it was his own. 

"I know you're not the Smart Side, but I didn't think you were _that_ dumb," Remus scolded as he lowered Roman to the floor, propping him up against the foot of his bed.

"Couldn't let you get hit," Roman groaned.

"You could've tackled me and sank us out, but no, you _had_ to be a hero!" Remus growled. 

"'M not."

Remus sighed. That was an argument for later. "Hold still," he admonished. "I need to this thing get this off of you." 

Roman tried to focus on what Remus was doing but he was so miserably dizzy. Then he was screaming again. 

Remus briefly glanced at Roman as he cut the leather straps on the back of the dented shield to free Roman's arm. He tossed the warped piece of metal aside with one arm, trying to hold Roman's broken arm steady with his other hand. 

Roman screamed again and Remus swore rapid-fire and trying to hold his brother steady as he was knocked backward. 

"Move, Emo!" Remus snarled. He tried to push Virgil out of the way as Roman reached for him. 

"What are you doing to him?!" The embodiment of Anxiety demanded, standing between the Duke and the Prince.

"Virge," Roman pleaded breathlessly, grasping at the edge of Virgil's oversized hoodie. "Please. Please, he's helping. He's helping. Virge, please, let him help." 

Virgil half glanced over his shoulder, not wanting to take his eyes off of Remus. "No! Roman, what did he do to you?" 

"My fault," Roman groaned. "Got in the troll's way. Broke my arm." 

That made him spin around. "You _what?!"_

"Rem can fix my arm," he panted. "He needs to set it. Let him set it, please. 

"Roman-" 

"Virgil, he can help." 

"I don't _trust him_." 

"Then get Logan. And bring back the box from my room. Small wooden box on the second shelf by the door." 

Virgil bit hard into his lip, not entirely sure what to do. 

"Virgil, I am very literally _begging_ you to let Remus help me. Go get Logan if you don't believe me, but for the love of theater, let him set my arm." 

And with that Virgil growled in frustration and took off at a dead run. 

"I still gotta get your arm out of the sleeve," Remus said quietly after Virgil was gone. 

"I know," Roman sniffed. "I need to lie down." 

Remus did his best to support Roman while the Prince shimmied down the bed, then gingerly laid his broken arm down. He darted to the head of the bed first then to his desk. When he returned to his brother the Duke carefully tucked a pillow under Roman's head, when his hand came away bloody he just sighed and swiped it on his pants before tucking a giraffe into Roman's good hand. With steady hands, he cut open Roman's sleeve clean up to his shoulder. 

The door burst in again and Logan trotted into the room with Patton and Virgil close behind him. Logan dropped to his knees next to Roman. 

Remus's gaze flicked uncertainly between the newcomers and his twin. 

"Can you fix him?" Virgil asked Logan. 

"No," Roman cut in. "I want Remus to do it. He's done it before. I want him to do it." 

Logan nodded. "Is there something else I can do to help?" 

"Get my potion," Roman ordered. 

"Hold on." Logan hopped to his feet and darted through the door that separated the twins' room. 

"Rem." 

Remus's head snapped to look back at his twin. 

"I trust you," Roman said earnestly. "Don't look at them. Remus, look at me. I know it's gonna hurt, but I trust you." 

Remus nodded and took a breath as Logan set the box next to him then sat on his knees beside Roman. 

"Deep breath, Ro-Ro," he said quietly and carefully took Roman's arm. The Prince let out a whimper and Logan stroked back his hair. 

"What about the potion?" Patton blurted. 

"The bone still has to be set," Remus answered. Roman bit back a cry as Remus tried to do just that. "If we just use the potion it'll heal wrong and we'd have to break it again to fix it." There was something akin to guilt in Remus's voice as he spoke. He shook his head. "It's gonna be easier if you sit up." 

Roman reached out to Logan and the embodiment of Logic helped pull him upright. 

"Alright, make it quick," Roman panted, wetting his lips. He arched his back, digging his heels into the floorboard, and his head pressing into the bed behind him. He groaned from behind clenched teeth as his breathing quickened. 

"Get the vial," Remus ordered, catching Logan's eye, just for a moment. "The top unscrews, put a drop in the middle of his arm when I say. "Last one. On three. Ready?" 

Roman nodded, eyes screwed tightly shut. 

"Deep breath. In, out- three!" 

Patton and Virgil jumped when the Prince threw his head back and screamed. 

Remus nodded at Logan and he carefully let a drop of red liquid fall from the rival. 

The effect was instant and Roman went limp as the swelling and purple mottled bruising vanished from his arm. 

"Two, one," Remus finished and brushed back his brother's hair. 

"Go back to kindergarten, you dope," Roman glowered weakly at the Duke. 

"I have a lifetime ban," he answered simply. "We need to fix your head." 

"Rude," Roman pouted weakly. 

"You hit it, dipstick. We need to take care of it. Then get you cleaned up. You don't look as good in your own blood as I do." 

Roman snorted. "Keep telling yourself that." He closed his eyes and took a few breathes then grabbed a fist full of the ruffle at Remus's shoulder and pulled himself away from the bed with a groan. 

Remus and Logan both caught him around the chest. 

"I'm fine-" 

"Liar." Janus's sudden voice caused Virgil to jump again and he stumbled into Patton. 

Roman cast a withering glare in his direction. "I'm dizzy," he corrected. 

"What are you even doing here?" Virgil demanded. 

"I know Remus has a few preferred foods when recovering from an injury. I came to see what Roman's were." 

"I've made cream of broccoli-" 

"Ro can't have dairy," Remus cut in. "It makes him sick." 

The Prince slumped against Remus's shoulder when Patton turned a worried look on him. 

"You never told me- I-I thought out liked it." 

"I do-" 

"Why didn't you tell me it made you sick?" Patton sounded hurt. 

"Because it's _good_. And because I didn't want you to feel bad." 

"Roman-" 

"Patton," Logan cut in gently. "We can talk more about that later. Right now, we need to take care of his head injury. Maybe you and Virgil can go make some chicken noodle soup-" 

"With extra noodles!" Remus blurted. 

"Rem-" 

"He likes the noodles. He won't ask for them, but they're his favorite." 

"Remus-" 

"It's okay, kiddo. I can do that. I wanna make it how you like it." 

"Thanks, Patton," Roman answered softly. 

"You're welcome, kiddo." He turned to Virgil. "Do you want to come?" 

"Yeah," he mumbled. "Better than here." 

Janus straightened his shoulders as the two left. "What can I do to help?" 

"Get something I can clean his hair with," Remus answered. Janus walked away with a nod. 

"If you lean forward a little more, I can get this onto your scalp," Logan told Roman when the three were left alone. He stood on his knees and leaned over while Remus held Roman steady as he bent forward. 

Roman hissed when Logan's fingers prodded into his hair to find the gash. The embodiment of Logic murmured an apology and left another drop fall. Once more he watched, fascinated as the wound instantaneously healed. Roman still leaned heavily against Remus as he sat up. 

"How are you feeling?" Logan asked him. 

"Tired." 

"And?" Janus asked as he came back into the room with a bowl of water and two hand towels. 

Roman closed his eyes and sighed. "Sore," he admitted. 

Janus nodded. "Pardon me," he said casually and stood next to Logan. "Would you mind moving the pillow?" 

Logan came to his feet, grabbed the bloody pillow, and moved to stand next to Remus. 

Janus didn't look at anyone as an extra set of arms seemed to fold out from behind his back. He set the bowl of water where the pillow had been then removed both pairs of gloves and his caplet and set them carefully on the desk. Then he stood on his knees across from Remus and held out four hands. 

Gingerly Remus tilted Roman back till he was resting in Janus's hands then set to work scrubbing the blood from Roman's hair. 

Logan rested a hand on Roman's leg when the Prince caught his eye. There was such a practiced ease to the way Janus and Remus worked that Logan had to wonder how many times it had happened. 

"Okay, no more blood," Remus announced. Janus began lifting Roman from the water and Remus followed behind with a towel to keep the water from dripping down Roman's shirt. 

Janus quickly dried his hands and then was on his feet carrying the bowl of now red water away. 

"We should get you to bed, Ro-bro." 

"I can sleep on the floor." 

"You shouldn't," Logan objected. "Come on." He took one of Roman's arms and he and Remus hauled him to his feet. 

Remus caught Roman around the chest when the Prince slumped backward toward the bed. 

"What are you doing?" Roman complained. "I'm trying to lie down." 

"I- I don't want you to have bad dreams," Remus fibbed weakly. 

"I always stay here after you patch me up," Roman objected. 

"No one else usually knows about it. Except maybe Jan and...they're all gonna wanna see you. And they don't like me. So it's better if you just go back to your own room." 

"But I don't want to! This is what we always do!" 

"Ro-" 

"Please?" 

Remus barely glanced at Logan before staring at the floor. "I don't wanna get you in trouble," he admitted. "I already made everyone mad when I said that soup made you sick." 

"That was my fault too," Logan cut in. "I knew the cream base broth upset his stomach, but I never said anything to Patton either. And he may be upset about the situation, but I doubt if he's 'mad' about it. As for Roman staying here, if that is your usual habit, I think it would benefit him to keep that routine, Remus. It would allow him to rest in an environment in which he feels safe and comfortable, which is far more beneficial in the long run. And. If anyone has something they wish to say against that, I would be happy to explain these benefits to them." 

Remus nodded, clearly not convinced, and helped Roman into a more comfortable position on his bed. "Thanks. For helping." 

Logan patted Remus's shoulder. "You should get some rest too," he said before he walked from the room. 

"How's your arm?" Roman asked when they were alone and tried to reach out to his twin. "And your head for that matter?" 

Remus dodged his touch. "I'm fine, Ro-Ro. Just try to sleep." Remus stood and dropped into his desk chair, keeping his back to his twin. 

Roman's eyes drifted closed with a sigh. As much as he might have wanted to argue with Remus, he was far too tired.


	2. Gone Missing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman should have known something was wrong when he woke up in his own room.

Roman stirred at the light tapping on the door and pushed himself upright, stretching his arms over his head. He froze mid-stretch as he realized he was back in his own room. Remus must have moved him after he fell asleep, he realized with a sigh. He pushed himself out of bed and open the door to find Patton holding a lap table of food on the other side. 

"Hey." Patton's smile was stained "I wasn't sure if you'd be awake. I- I, uh, I brought you some soup. It's chicken noodle. The way Remus said you liked it." 

"Thanks, Patton. Why don't- Will you come sit with me for a little while?" He opened the door a little wider and pulled up a couple of beanbag chairs. 

"Sure thing, kiddo," Patton nodded. He set the lap table between the chairs and took the pale blue one for himself, leaving the bright red one for Roman. 

The Prince sat across from him without looking at him. "I know-" he let out a sigh and started again. "I really did enjoy the cream of broccoli soup you made. And it always made me feel better because it was nice to have someone to take care of me for a little while." 

"I believe you, I just...feel bad for making you sick."

" _ You _ didn't.  _ I  _ did. I could have told you at any time that I'm apparently lactose intolerant and I didn't. Mostly because I was being petty and still wanted your soup. But it wasn't your fault, Patton. And I don't want you to feel bad or like you owe me an apology. Because you don't. I know that...may not instantly make you feel better, and that's okay too. I just wanted you to know. That I really did enjoy it and I never blamed you that I got sick after. I knew what it would do to me and I ate it anyway. So that's on me. Okay?" 

"I appreciate that, Roman. But I need you to promise me something." 

"Okay?" 

"That you'll tell if you really don't like something or...what you prefer." 

"I will make an effort to work on that." 

Patton smirked. "Close enough. You better eat up before your soup gets cold though. Try to get some rest. Okay?" 

Roman held back a sigh as Patton stood put on a charming smile and nodded. "Will do. Thanks again for...the food." 

"You're welcome, kiddo." And with that, the Embodiment of Morality slipped from the room. 

Roman shoulders dropped forward with a heavy sigh. He scrubbed his face with both hands then pushed them through his tangled hair. He picked up the tray, balancing it on his newly mended hand, and tapped on the door that led to Remus's room as a warning before pushing it in. "If you're going to be making food requests on my behalf then-" He stopped suddenly and glanced around the room. "Remus?" he called and set the lap table lightly on the desk.  Dread began twisting in Roman's chest. Something was very wrong. "Remus!" He called loudly into the clearly empty room. He flung the main door open and shouted into the hallway, drawing the others' attention. 

"What's going on?" It was Logan's voice that broke Roman from his racing thoughts. 

"Tell me one of you have seen Remus recently." 

Logan and Patton exchanged glances then shook their heads. "Not since he was fixing your arm," the Paternal one answered.

Roman squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to take a slow breath. "Janus?" He called quietly. 

"You rang?" Janus answered flatly as he rose up in the middle of Remus's room. He glanced around, taken off guard by his surroundings. 

The dread was swelling in Roman's chest. "Have you seen Remus?" 

"It's entirely possible," came the cool reply as Janus straightened his caplet. "I might even-" 

"Is he safe?" Roman cut in. 

That made Janus frown. "What?" 

"Something's wrong." Roman's chest began to heave. His head snapped up sharply. "Go check his castle in the Imagination. I'm going to search the woods nearby."

Janus nodded and immediately was making his way through the wardrobe in Remus's room. 

Roman quickly summoned his sword and began attaching it to his belt. "Don't follow me into the woods," he ordered, casting a questioning glance to Logan. The embodiment of Logic gave a nod. "It won't be safe for you three especially." He picked up his shield from the foot of his bed and slid his arm into the straps adjusting his grip as he spoke. "I have an idea where he is so it shouldn't take long to find him."

"Roman, are you sure this is a good idea?" Patton questioned. 

"Best idea I've had all week." And with that Roman charged into the Imagination. 


	3. Despite the Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman faces his fear of the dark, armed only with a sword, shield, and a morbid curiosity of where his fears originated from.

Roman hated the dark. 

If he had to guess it was likely something to do with his connection to Thomas's childhood. Sure, Patton had been referred to once as the Inner Child, which was accurate enough as Patton did seem to favor the memories and the simpler times of childhood. Patton often helped them as a Unit to find the pleasures in everyday life. The beauty of wildflowers along the road, the way the light shone through the tree branches. In that way, Patton was very much the Inner Child. 

But Roman, Creativity, he was very much knit to the _experience_ of childhood. Even as an adult much of his inspiration was drawn from the movies and cartoons they- Thomas had enjoyed as a child. As much as those were positive things, even the best of childhoods are not without negative experiences. And even if they were mostly good experiences, most children went through a phase of being frightened of the dark. 

Thomas had been no exception.

Roman could still easily recall the time when the night light had blown its bulb before Thomas had fallen asleep. It was the first time Roman had summoned a katana. They had been seven, maybe eight at the time. Back before Virgil had grown into the Anxiety they all had come to know and cherish. Before the social part of anxiety had formed. It wasn't the dark, Virgil had pointed out at the time, it was all the stuff that could potentially be _in_ the dark that was the problem. 

The dark itself was harmless. Whatever creatures the glowing eyes Remus had insisted he was seeing, those would not be harmless, Virgil had been sure of it. 

So Roman had done what any good leader would do- What Leonardo would have done. Pulled out a ninja sword to protect his family from whatever came out of the darkness.

Nothing ever did.

For all Remus liked to talk about dripping shadow creatures, he never actually brought any to life. At least not in a way that would hurt anyone. They had simply flitted around the room like bugs in a jar. But Patton and Virgil had been so distressed that Remus would even think up something like that that Roman had stayed up to prove that even if Remus could come up with something icky and slimy that Thomas wasn't bad for thinking about them because Roman was Thomas too and he wouldn't let the shadow slime monsters do anything bad. It had been like a game to Remus. Like trying to find animals or shapes in the clouds. After all, they were only seven. 

Virgil, Anxiety himself, had insisted that the darkness itself wasn't scary or bad. But Roman could never quite bring himself to believe that. Even as an adult, the mere thought of total darkness was enough to tighten his chest and send his heart racing.

Roman was sure it would have been an interesting conversation to have with Logan. After all, most adults, Thomas included, were still more cautious in the dark, so maybe Roman's fears were somehow related to that. It made sense, right? It was probably similar to how Patton seemed to house Thomas's arachnophobia while Virgil had a- something scuttled off to the right, between the trees and Roman quickly drew his katana- Virgil had a tarantula. 

He forced himself to take a slow breath. Remus was still out here. Still needed him. He gripped the hilt of his weapon and continued on, letting his instinct guide him. Twinstinct, he'd called it when they were younger. More alike. When poop jokes were as crude as Remus got and Thomas was young enough for them to still be funny. They were _still_ alike in many ways. Loud, eager to share their ideas, wanting to be heard. 

He was getting closer now. Not just to Remus, but to the edge of the Imagination. This deep in the woods there was little definition to their surroundings, but it meant Roman was keenly aware of misty, shadows that flitted around, like some dark version of the Will O'the Wisps. The same creatures, it seemed, as Remus had accidentally conjured so many years ago. Vaguely Roman wondered if other people's minds were like this.

The Mind Palace technically resided in the Imagination, but there was a degree of separation there. Perhaps "next to" was a better description. There was a distinction to it. Just as there was a distinction between the Sides themselves and the figments that lived outside of the Mind Palace in the Imagination. There was a... a wildness to the Imagination not contained in the Mind Palace. Fewer rules of reality applied there. And this deep into it, nearing what Roman would have assumed to be the subconscious, there were even fewer.

It was why, despite the darkness, he could still see. The sky was pitch black without any light, and the grass barely showed any hints of green. There was none at all on the trees. If it hadn't always been this way, he might have blamed the idea of this being near the subconscious on Inside Out. 

Roman nearly collapsed with relief when he found Remus huddled at the base of a blackened tree with no leaves.

The Duke was hunched over his knees, head clutched tightly between his hands; the only thing more concerning than the stillness of his body was the nervous movement of the tentacles that now reached around from his back. 

Roman knew about them of course, they all had their quirks- It was expected seeing as they were imaginary, but with the exception of Janus's scales and eyes or Virgil's eyeshadow, those quirks were rarely visible. At least to the others. 

"Remus?" Roman called softly. He intentionally stepped on a twig, causing it to snap. Remus didn't lift his head, but his tentacles seemed to snap to attention. "It's okay, Rem. I'm here." 

Roman sheathed his sword then slung his shield over his back and reached out to one of the arms and it quickly wrapped itself around Roman's hand and partway up his arm. "I'm here," he said again and knelt in front of his twin. He held Remus's wrists and rested his forehead against the top of the Duke's head. For a long moment, they stayed that way, Remus unmoving save for the reaching tentacles and Roman murmuring words of comfort to his twin. 

"Put your arms around me," Roman ordered gently and carefully moved to Remus's side. Silently, the Duke did as he was told and Roman scooped him up then carefully came to his feet. "Just hold on to me. I'm not gonna let you go." 

Roman carried his twin till the forest once again became more defined, more what one might imagine a forest to be, then he sank them both from the Imagination.

**Author's Note:**

> This story got a major overhaul, but the premise will still be the same and will explore the idea of what it means for both Roman and Remus to be Creativity.


End file.
